Whole Foods “5-Step Animal Welfare Rating”
The other day I was doing my usual weekly shopping trip at my local Whole Foods when I passed by an area that I usually never pay attention to. I don’t cook meat or really keep it in my house, so it make sense that I never stop at the meat counter. Well, for some reason this time I looked and I saw a pamphlet that caught my eye. It was labeled “5 -Step Animal Welfare Rating: Your Way Of Knowing How Our Meat Animals Are Raised.” Interesting…finally a market is being open about what is in their food! I opened it up to discover some very interesting tidbits about how Whole Foods picks the meat they carry, and I have to say that I am impressed with their standards (not that I’m surprised). All meat is labeled 1-5 with 5 being the highest, and most elite, rating. Here’s how the ratings break down…
1 – Animals are raised without antibiotics, growth hormones, cages, crates, and crowding. Also, animals are fed a diet free of animal by-products (this does not mean they are on a vegan diet).
2 – Animals are raised in the same manner as those in level 1, but they are also raised in an enriched environment.
3 – Animals at this level are raised in the same manner as 1 & 2, but are also provided with more outdoor access.
4 – Animals at this level fulfill the requirements of 1-3, and live out their days in an open pasture.
5 – Animals have the same life as levels 1-4, and have no physical alterations. These farmers must be animal centered.
5+ – The highest rating guarantees that all the previous requirements are met, plus the animal spends their entire life on the same farm. These farmers must be animal centered.
The pamphlet then goes on to include more specific detail about their ranking requirements chicken, pork, and beef farmers. I urge you to go pick up a pamphlet for your self.
I think the part of the pamphlet I find most interesting is the last two pages…the glossary of terms. Here is some of the verbage mentioned above:
Animal by-products: Products of slaughter or animal production that are not fit for human consumption and are sometimes added to animal feeds.
Animal centered: Primary emphasis on the welfare of the animal rather than on factors of economics or convenience.
Pasture: An area which provides a layer of managed vegetative cover and a foundation for the animals to walk on or through.
Vegetative cover: Grasses, legumes, herbs or other forage with an intact root base. Vegetative cover can be growing or dormant.
Check out the pamphlet for more great definitions…you will be surprised what farming practices are fairly common at farms carried by your local grocer. I am a believer that the less meat we eat the better we are treating our environment, but if you must indulge every once in a while please make sure that you know where your meat is coming from and how it was raised!
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